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Kate Mulgrew on the crud cave - Triple M 31 March 2000 Melbourne, Australia |
Radio Man (R.M.) - Kate Mulgrew, thanks for joining us in the crud cave.
Many Thanks to a Totally Kate! contributor! Kate- How are you?
R. M. - Or should I obey Starfleet protocols and call you Captain Kathryn Janeway? (Kate laughs)
Kate- You can call me the heroine to beat all heroines after I just survived the skyway, believe me.
R.M- Oh really, well I got thrown out of Starfleet academy, ahh, Captain, for sleeping with a Cardassian early on so, my protocol isn’t up to date. (Kate laughs). But we were, I was actually researching for this interview Kate, and I looked up Star Trek Voyager, there were 92,000 websites on the internet, does that just blow you away how popular the whole series is?
Kate- My god, yes it really does, I mean I certainly, when I took this job on, did not understand the phenomenon that it is, but I’ll tell you one thing, I have heard over and over again, that our most, I would say ardent and devoted fan base not to mention vociferous and robust is in Australia, so I’m so pleased to be here.
RM- Now as captain of a space vehicle, you’ve got some very big moon boots to fill, coming after William Shatner, and Patrick Stewart, was that a little daunting?
Kate- Eh, they did have big boots didn’t they? Big clomping boots. No, that didn’t daunt me a bit.
RM- Well you're such a popular captain Kate, what’s it like actually filming the episodes, how sort of full of gadgets and technology is it?
Kate- It’s very, its very tough. Umm, It’s easier, much easier now, gentlemen than it was in the beginning. I would say in the first season I was flying by the seat of my pants. I didn’t understand that techno babble, I certainly didn’t understand the hardware, and the details of the ship were extraordinary to me. Now I understand everything that I say, so that, my parents find that mind boggling than anything else. Umm, and most of it as you know, or perhaps you don’t, is rooted in scientific fact.
RM- Now the deal with the USS Voyager is you are literally lost in space…
Kate- We are lost in the Delta Quadrant, ever nearer to home, because now we have established contact with federation again.
RM- Oh ok, I thought that you were still lost because you were too proud to ask for directions.
Kate- (laughs) Just like a woman, huh?
RM- Yeah, well are we ever going to see on the back of the USS Voyager ‘Don’t follow me, I’m lost too.’?
Kate- (laughing) Oh I put that bumper sticker on long time ago boys, long time ago.
RM- What’s it like wearing the suit Kate, is it, because you watch the old Star Trek episodes and the tight lycra seems to chafe William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy a little.
Kate- Well you know they had to watch their figs a little more than I do. I just chuck myself into it guys, I feel great in it.
RM- Do you, have you ever worn it socially?
Kate- I try not to. I wear it around my husband, he finds it rather a turn on. I come home and he says “Oh again, alright darling, Red alert” yeah.
RM- Now when you're on the set, idea, when your filming, do you ever feel like going up the Vulcans and just saying ‘For god sake, lighten up’?
Kate- I do it very often.
RM- Now ah, for your role, for the preparation you had to do, did you have to learn Klingon, ‘coz I wanted to do the whole interview in Klingon, but I wasn’t sure that yours was as good as mine.
Kate- No, I can’t wrap my tongue around that one.
RM- I’ve always wanted ask something. In the first episode of the Star Trek, they actually had people pushing and pulling the doors open and shut, does that happen still?
Kate- No
RM- Oh, are they all electronic?
Kate- All automatic, but of course we have one poor grip up there, on the ropes you know, and that’s often what blows a take, believe it or not. I could be doing a five/seven page scene in the ready room, somebody has to exit. If there is one bounce, one millimeter bounce on that door, and we have to do the whole thing again.
RM- Just going on to the ready room, what are you getting ready for in the Ready room?
Kate- In the ready room? Well that’s for me to know, and you to find out.
RM- Spoken like a true captain. What about the holodeck? I’m just worried that if a drunk adolescent male ever wandered in, what sort of things that we would see in there Kate?
Kate- (laughs)
RM- Just before you go I have to ask, you have science officers, you have engineers, have you ever thought about getting an entertainment director like they had on the Love Boat, Kate? Maybe to set up a Cardassian with a Bolaxian.
Kate- (laughs) We don’t get into all those sexual hijinks.
RM- There’s never has really been a steamy love scene on Star Trek....
Kate- No and you know what, it’s high time. I’m going back and I’m saying that Australia demands this.
RM- Yeah exactly, well I don’t know, William Shatner in tight lycra, I don’t know whether women would have preferred not to see him too excited.
Kate- (laughing) I don’t think so, not a big turn on guys.
RM- I think Mr. Spock would loosen up after a little bit of, you know what....
Kate- (laughing) In all the wrong ways.
RM- Turning the billion mile high club, he could meld more than just minds.
Kate- (laughing- too much to talk)
RM- Thanks for talking to us Kate.
Kate- Thank you very much, take care of yourselves.
RM- It’s a great show and uh, we look forward to your last series.
Kate- Thank you so much.
RM- See you later.
Kate- Take care gentlemen.
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